Tip of the Week: A Rainbow of Vegetables
Posted in Gardening Tips on July 12th, 2010 by Sonia Uyterhoeven – 1 Comment |
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center. |
In my blog post last week I discussed combining color and texture in the vegetable garden. This week we will look at some new introductions and some old favorites that are worthy additions to a rainbow garden.
Gardeners who grow beets are familiar with the classic heirloom, Beta vulgaris ‘Chioggia’. It is incredibly sweet and mild when cooked, but once you slice through its red skin, its outstanding feature is revealed: alternating red and white rings. It retains its impressive bull’s eyes even when baked whole. This year growers such as Johnny’s Select Seeds and Parks Seeds are touting an improved version of this Italian classic called ‘Chioggia Guardsmark’.
When we think of butterhead lettuce we generally think of hydroponically grown, buttery-smooth green heads. I grew up on this Boston-type lettuce, and it is still a favorite choice in my family’s household. Some popular green varieties are ‘Buttercrunch’ and ‘Butterking’. The red-tinged heirloom varieties ‘Pirat’ and ‘Yugoslavian Red’ have long been a staple in my garden. This year a heat tolerant red variety called ‘Skyphos’ entered the market. It looks sensational. It is not too late to try both the beet and the lettuce as fast fall crops. read more »